Peach Cobbler Revisited

The search for the PERFECT peach cobbler continues . . .

This irecipe is a combination recipe from two different cookbooks.  If you will remember, I recently made one by Paula Deen which I thought was too soggy but my husband liked it.  Since then, I tied another recipe by Better Homes and Gardens, he hated it.  So I found one in The Fannie Farmer Cookbook that sounded good but I didn't like how she prepared the fruit.  So I used the method in the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.  So here is my Peach Cobbler from both Fannie Farmer and Better Homes with a few slight modifications (of course!!)

Peach Cobbler

Fruit Filling by Better Homes and Gardens

4 cups fresh, sliced and skinned peaches (removed the middle stone)
1/3 cup sugar
1 T cornstarch
1/4 cup water

In a saucepan, add the sliced peaches.

Add the sugar, cornstarch and water.

Heat over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.

Pour into a buttered 3 quart casserole dish

Crust by Fannie Farmer

1 3/4 cups white flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
6 T butter, chilled and sliced in pieces
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cream or milk ** (the recipe calls for 3/4 cup cream - made dough too wet)

Preheat the oven to 375

Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a  large mixing bowl.


Add the pieces of butter into the flour.  I used a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs.

Add the sugar and stir to combine.

Slowly add the cream or milk and mix.


Gather the dough into a "shaggy mix" and knead 4 or 5 times.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface and place on top of the fruit.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until lightly browned.

Entire Recipe

Peach Cobbler

Fruit Filling by Better Homes and Gardens

4 cups fresh, sliced and skinned peaches (removed the middle stone)
1/3 cup sugar
1 T cornstarch
1/4 cup water

In a saucepan, add the sliced peaches.

Add the sugar, cornstarch and water.

Heat over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.

Pour into a buttered 3 quart casserole dish

Crust by Fannie Farmer

1 3/4 cups white flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
6 T butter, chilled and sliced in pieces
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cream or milk ** (the recipe calls for 3/4 cup cream - made dough too wet)

Preheat the oven to 375

Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a  large mixing bowl.

Add the pieces of butter into the flour.  I used a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs.

Add the sugar and stir to combine.

Slowly add the cream or milk and mix.

Gather the dough into a "shaggy mix" and knead 4 or 5 times.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface and place on top of the fruit.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until lightly browned.

Fantastic with a scoop of ice cream!!

 Enjoy!!

Verdict:

So what did my resident expert think . . . he thought it was very good.  He still thought Paula had the better cobbler, even though I thought it was soggy (what do I know??).   I did think this was a good recipe and you could make any type of cobbler with it - apple, blueberry, etc.

Patty Pan Squash Italian Style

The farmer next to me at the market had the most beautiful Patty Pan squash - nice big ones.  It is about this time of the year when all the squash are available.  You normally don't see these in the supermarket.  They are great for stuffing!!

I found this receipt on the Wishful Acres Farm Blog.  Another really easy recipe!!  The hardest part was scraping out the insides of the squash. 

Patty Pan Squash Italian Style by Wishful Acres Farm

3 medium to large patty pan squash
1 lb ground beef or Italian sausage
1 small size onion, chopped
2 cups marinara sauce
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 350.

Cut a circle around the top of the squash like you were craving a pumpkin.  Scoop the seed cavity clean disposing of the seeds.  The inside should be hollow.  I sprinkle it with garlic powder and black pepper.

In a pan, brown the meat with the onions.  Drain any fat.  Add the marinara sauce.  Remove pan from stove.

Fill the squash cavity with the meat sauce.

Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top of each squash.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the squash feels soft.

To eat, you eat the whole thing!  Cut with a knife and fork and eat the squash along with the stuffing.


Entire Recipe:

Patty Pan Squash Italian Style by Wishful Acres Farm

3 medium to large patty pan squash
1 lb ground beef or Italian sausage
1 small size onion, chopped
2 cups marinara sauce
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 350.

Cut a circle around the top of the squash like you were craving a pumpkin.  Scoop the seed cavity clean disposing of the seeds.  The inside should be hollow.  I sprinkle it with garlic powder and black pepper.

In a pan, brown the meat with the onions.  Drain any fat.  Add the marinara sauce.  Remove pan from stove.

Fill the squash cavity with the meat sauce.

Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top of each squash.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the squash feels soft.

To eat, you eat the whole thing!  Cut with a knife and fork and eat the squash along with the stuffing.

ENJOY!!

VERDICT:

It was very good and also VERY filling.  I think next time I will pick smaller squash.  My husband did enjoy it, thought it was very good.  Though he likes acorn squash better.  Thought the squash really didn't much taste to it.  Will I make this again, maybe.   Like I said above, Patty Pan squash are great for stuffing -you can do a meat/rice mixture, rice/spinach/cheese mix, just let your imagination run wild.

Paula Deen's Peach Cobbler

It is getting that time of year when peaches are going out of season at the farmer's markets - though I am sure you can still find them in the grocery stores.  I had a few peaches left, not enough to make a pie, but enough to make a peach cobbler.

After searching through all my cookbooks, I decided on Paula Deen's recipe.  She's from down South and cobbler just sounds like a good ole southern recipe, doesn't it.  I figured Paula won't do me wrong! 

I found her cobbler recipe in her book, Paula Deen's Kitchen Classics.  Another real easy recipe to make.  It does call for self-rising flour.  WAIT before you make a mad dash to the grocery store, you can make self-rising flour right in your own home - AMAZING!!  I know - life just doesn't get any better than this and I will share my secret recipe for homemade self-rising flour here:

Self-Rising Flour - makes 1 cup of flour

1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Mix together

Viola!! you now have 1 cup of self-rising flour without leaving your kitchen!!  Life is beautiful again!!

On to Paula's recipe:

Paula Deen's Peach Cobbler

8 T butter (1 stick)
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup self-rising flour (see above)
3/4 cup milk
one 28 ounce can slice peaches or see below

Using fresh peaches

Peel and remove stone from 2 peaches. 

Slice 2 cups of peaches and place in a small sauce pan.

Add 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water. 

Bring mixture to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.  Stir often to make sure sugar dissolves.


Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Put butter in a deep baking dish or casserole and place in oven to melt.

Mix the sugar and the flour together.  Add the milk slowly to prevent any lumps from forming.

Remove pan with melted butter, pour sugar/flour/milk mixture over melted butter - DO NOT STIR!

Using a slotted spoon, place the fruit on top of the batter.

Gently pour the rest of the syrup over the fruit/batter.

The batter will rise during baking.

Bake for 30 to 45 minutes. 

Entire Recipe:

Paula Deen's Peach Cobbler

8 T butter (1 stick)
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup self-rising flour (see above)
3/4 cup milk
one 28 ounce can slice peaches or see below

Using fresh peaches

Peel and remove stone from 2 peaches.  Slice 2 cups of peaches and place in a small sauce pan.  Add 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water.  Bring mixture to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.  Stir often to make sure sugar dissolves.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Put butter in a deep baking dish or casserole and place in oven to melt.

Mix the sugar and the flour together.  Add the milk slowly to prevent any lumps from forming.

Remove pan with melted butter, pour sugar/flour/milk mixture over melted butter - DO NOT STIR!

Using a slotted spoon, place the fruit on top of the batter.

Gently pour the rest of the syrup over the fruit/batter.

The batter will rise during baking.

Bake for 30 to 45 minutes. 

Great with whipped cream and even better with vanilla ice cream!!

ENJOY!!

Verdict:

I thought it was good, but mushy.  Not like the cobblers that I am used to.  BUT my husband loved it.  So what do I know - LOL!!  He thought it was great!!  Will I make it again - probably.  There is another recipe I do want to try first before I make a final decision on this one. 

Shrimp Parmesan

Have you ever watched the show The Goldbergs?  Great show!!  Anyway, the Dad, Murray, is always asking Beverly to make him Shrimp Parm - always with extra shrimp and extra parm.  It make me wonder if I could find a recipe for "Shrimp Parm."  And off to the Internet I went.  Lo and Behold, there were TONS of recipes with shrimp and parmesan cheese.  The one I chose was good ole Betty Crocker.  I figured Betty won't let me down and I was right!!

Of course, this does involve a trip to your grocery store for shrimp, pasta and shredded parmesan cheese, but it will be worth it!!  Please read the whole recipe and my comments before you leave!!

Parmesan-Shrimp Pasta Bake by Betty Crocker

Ingredients

1 pkg (16 ounces) bow tie pasta (use only half of the box - a whole box is too much pasta!!)
6 T butter
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
6 T all purpose flour
1/3 cup chicken broth
2 3/4 cup half and half (I didn't have so I just substitute whole milk)
1/2 cup clam juice (I didn't have that either - so omitted it)
1 T tomato paste or ketchup
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 lb peeled, deveined shrimp (medium size)
2 tsp dried dill weed
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F

Cook and drain pasta according to directions on the box

Melt butter is a large sauce pan.  Add the garlic and saute for about a minute (your house will smell WONDERFUL!!).

Stir in the flour with a whisk, until the mixture is smooth and bubbly.

Add the chicken broth, half-and-half (or milk), clam juice (if you have it), tomato paste/ketchup, salt and pepper.  Stir to combine until thick. 

Add the shrimp (if using large shrimp, cut into smaller pieces), dill weed and 1/4 cup of the cheese.

Add the bow tie pasta to the shrimp mixture.  Pour into a casserole dish.

Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

Bake uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes.

Entire Recipe:

Parmesan-Shrimp Pasta Bake by Betty Crocker

Ingredients

1 pkg (16 ounces) bow tie pasta (use only half of the box - a whole box is too much pasta!!)
6 T butter
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
6 T all purpose flour
1/3 cup chicken broth
2 3/4 cup half and half (I didn't have so I just substitute whole milk)
1/2 cup clam juice (I didn't have that either - so omitted it)
1 T tomato paste or ketchup
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 lb peeled, deveined shrimp (medium size)
2 tsp dried dill weed
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F

Cook and drain pasta according to directions on the box

Melt butter is a large sauce pan.  Add the garlic and saute for about a minute (your house will smell WONDERFUL!!).

Stir in the flour with a whisk, until the mixture is smooth and bubbly.

Add the chicken broth, half-and-half (or milk), clam juice (if you have it), tomato paste/ketchup, salt and pepper.  Stir to combine until thick. 

Add the shrimp (if using large shrimp, cut into smaller pieces), dill weed and 1/4 cup of the cheese.

Add the bow tie pasta to the shrimp mixture.  Pour into a casserole dish.

Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

Bake uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes.

Enjoy!!!

VERDICT:
Oh yes, this was good!!!  I used large shrimp which I should have cut into smaller pieces.  And you definitely do not need to use the whole box of pasta!!  My resident expert loved it, so I see me making this again in the near future. 

Summer Corn Chowder

Going to any farmer's market these days and you will find the best corn you have ever tasted!!  This is prime time for corn.  So enjoy it while the getting is good!!

I am lucky that I work at two farmer's markets and have friends that save me some of their best produce!  Life just doesn't get any better than this!!

My husband enjoyed the Corn and Sweet Potato Chowder I made a week or two ago, so I thought I would try my hand at just plain ole Corn Chowder!  So a new adventure was born (and amazingly enough I had most of the ingredients on hand!! so this was meant to be!!)

I found this recipe on the Cooking Classy website from Pinterest.  It had very high reviews, so I figured it had to be good.

Summer Corn Chowder by Cooking Classy

Ingredients

8 ears fresh corn, husked and silks removed and kernels cut from cob
3 T butter (I always use unsalted)
5 slices bacon cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 clove garlic, mined
1 medium size onion chopped
5 cups water
1 lb yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (and I actually did have these!!)
1/2 t dry thyme
1 bay leaf
1 cup half and half (I just used milk as I didn't have half and half)
1 T honey
2 - 3 T chopped fresh chives (sorry, didn't have those)
shredded cheddar cheese for serving (optional)

Directions:

Melt the butter in a stock pot.  Add the chopped onions and bacon and cook, while stirring, for about 10 minutes - when the onions start to soften and brown around the edges a little.

Mix in the garlic and flour.

Using your whisk, slowly pour the water into your onion/flour mixture.

Bring to a boil while stirring constantly, add in the corn kernels and potatoes.  Add the thyme, bay leaf and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Bring the soup to a light boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer until potatoes are tender for about 20 minutes.  Stir occasionally.

Remove the bay leaf.  Remove 2 1/2 cups of the chowder to a blender and blend until smooth.

Stir the blended chowder back into the pot and add the half and half and honey.

Sprinkle each serving with chives and the optional cheddar cheese.

Entire Recipe:

Summer Corn Chowder by Cooking Classy

Ingredients

8 ears fresh corn, husked and silks removed and kernels cut from cob
3 T butter (I always use unsalted)
5 slices bacon cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 clove garlic, mined
1 medium size onion chopped
5 cups water
1 lb yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 t dry thyme
1 bay leaf
1 cup half and half (I just used milk as I didn't have half and half)
1 T honey
2 - 3 T chopped fresh chives (sorry, didn't have those)
shredded cheddar cheese for serving (optional)

Directions:

Melt the butter in a stock pot.  Add the chopped onions and bacon and cook, while stirring, for about 10 minutes - when the onions start to soften and brown around the edges a little.

Mix in the garlic and flour.

Using your whisk, slowly pour the water into your onion/flour mixture.

Bring to a boil while stirring constantly, add in the corn kernels and potatoes.  Add the thyme, bay leaf and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Bring the soup to a light boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer until potatoes are tender for about 20 minutes.  Stir occasionally.

Remove the bay leaf.  Remove 2 1/2 cups of the chowder to a blender and blend until smooth.

Stir the blended chowder back into the pot and add the half and half and honey.

Sprinkle each serving with chives and the optional cheddar cheese.

ENJOY!!

VERDICT:

This was really good.  I was very surprised by this.  I had thought about substituting chicken stock for the water as I thought this would be too bland, but I only had one can of chicken stock, so I just used the water.  I love homemade soups because they are a meal in themselves and so very filling!!  So what did my resident expert think?  He loved it!  He said that he liked it even better than the Corn and Sweet Potato Chowder!  So we have another winner!!

Corn and Sweet Potato Chowder

 

 

Ah, Summer is upon us and we have all these wonderful vegetables available!!  Tomatoes and corn - fresh out of the fields - nothing better!!  Of course, selling at two farmer's markets gives me access to a lot of fabulous vegetables!!  This past weekend I picked up a dozen ears of the best looking corn and I wanted to do something special with it.  Viola!!  Corn Chowder!!  NOT just plain ole Corn Chowder!!! Corn Chowder WITH Sweet Potatoes - oh my!!!

 

I found the recipe for this adventure in Andrea Chesman's cookbook, Serving Up the Harvest.  I have made several recipes in her book and each one has been wonderful.  So I knew this one had to be good.  Of course, sweet potatoes aren't quite in season now, so that involved a quick run to the grocery store.

 

This is another pretty easy recipe.  The hardest part is shucking all the corn - LOL!!!   And I think the next time I make this I will buy one of those little tools that help you cut the kernels off the corn so easily. 

 

One note . . . the recipe called for a "large" sweet potato.  I found a large sweet potato in my grocery store.  When I peeled it, it was white inside - never have seen a white sweet potato - oh my, an albino sweet potato!!  It still tasted good in the soup.

 

Anyway, onto the recipe . . .

 

Corn and Sweet Potato Chowder

 

Ingredients:

 

8 ears of corn, husked and silked

6 cups chicken broth

2 T butter

1 small onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced

1 1/2 cups milk or half-and-half

1 T sugar

salt and pepper to taste

 

Directions:

 

Cut the kernels off the corn and set aside in a separate bowl.

 

Pour the chicken broth into a large pot and add the corn cobs.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

 

Melt the butter in a large stock pot.  Add the onion and garlic (your house will smell WONDERFUL!!) and sauté for about 3 minutes

 

Add the chicken stock, corn kernels, and sweet potatoes.

 

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 25 to 30 minutes.

 

Add the milk and sugar.  Season with salt and pepper.  Simmer for an additional 5 minutes. 

 

Serve hot.

 

Entire Recipe:

 

Corn and Sweet Potato Chowder

 

Ingredients:

 

8 ears of corn, husked and silked

6 cups chicken broth

2 T butter

1 small onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced

1 1/2 cups milk or half-and-half

1 T sugar

salt and pepper to taste

 

Directions:

 

Cut the kernels off the corn and set aside in a separate bowl.

 

 

Pour the chicken broth into a large pot and add the corn cobs.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

 

 

Melt the butter in a large stock pot.  Add the onion and garlic (your house will smell WONDERFUL!!) and sauté for about 3 minutes

 

Add the chicken stock, corn kernels, and sweet potatoes.

 

 

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 25 to 30 minutes.

 

Add the milk and sugar.  Season with salt and pepper.  Simmer for an additional 5 minutes. 

 

Serve hot.

 

Enjoy!!

 

Verdict:

 

Oh my, this was good.  My mistake I used 9 ears of corn because I thought the ears were small.  You definitely do not need that much corn!!  I even think 7 ears would have sufficed.  An orange sweet potato would have given the soup more color, but I don't think would have added anything to the taste.  What did my resident expert think??  He loved it!!  So I am sure I will be making this again in the near future.

 

 

 

Grilled Eggplant Steaks

Unforutnately, I didn't get pictures of this.    The next time I make this, I will.  I found this recipe in the book Forks Over Knives  by Del Sroufe (a cookbook I borrowed from the library).  My husband was saying that we needed more vegetables in our meals, so I thought I would look into a couple of the more popular vegeterian cookbooks (and if I found a couple I liked, they would definitely end up on my bookshelf).

This is another one of those really easy meals to make.  Again, the hardest part is slicing and peeling the eggplant.  The recipe calls for a large eggplant, of course I couldn't find, so I just substituted two medium sized ones instead.

Grilled Eggplant Steaks by Del Sroufe

Ingredients

3 T balsamic vinegar
2 T lemon juice
2 T soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1 large eggplant (or 2 medium)

Heat up the grill
Mix together the vinegar, lemon juice and soy sauce (adding a touch of salt and pepper).
Slice and peel the eggplant.
Brush each side of the eggplant several times with the marinade
Place the eggplant on a hot grill and cook on each side for about 5 minutes while brushing with the marinade.

Verdict

I wasn't sure how this would taste as I thought the eggplant would be very bland.  OMG this was really good.  My husband LOVED it!  I served this with a small salad.  Perfect for a low cost meal that was easy to make.  Yes, I see this on our plates again in the near future.